Foldable wardrobe.



N. J. BELL (NOW BY MARRIAGE N. J. LITHERBURY).

POLDABLE WARDROBE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.13, 1908.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPI! (0.. WASHINGTON. n. c.

Patented Jan.2, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N. J. BELL (NOW BY MARRIAGE N. J. LITHERBURY).

FOLDABLE WARDROBE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.13,1908.

Patented Jan.2,1912.

'2 SHEETS-SHBET 2.

NTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NINA J. BELL, (NOW BY MARRIAGE NINA J. LI'IHERBURY,) OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

FOLDABLE WARDROBE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 2, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NINA J. BELL, (now by marriage NINA J. LITHERBURY,) a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Fol-:lable Wardrobe, of which the following is a specification.

An object of this invention is to provide a convenient device adapted to be folded for transportation in valises, trunks and the like, and when unfolded being adapted to be suspended in any appropriate place and used to conceal and protect apparel and toilet articles, and articles of personal attire; keeping the same in a convenient position for ready access by the owner.

Another object is to provide a compact, individual wardrobe of large capacity for a given space occupied, whereby one or more persons occupying a room not provided with wardrobe facilities may conveniently and cheaply supply the same and provide for each person an individual wardrobe.

An object is to provide a folding and portable wardrobe easily adjusted in any appropriate place, either suspended from picture-molding in rooms devoid of closets, or from hooks, nails, or similar contrivances at home, or on a steamer, or from poles in tent-s; the same being arranged to completely protect wearing apparel and toilet articles from light, dust or observance, and which will fold into small compass, and is provided with a detachable curtain, clasps and wardrobe conveniences.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

Figure 1 is a front view of a device embodying the invention as it appears when in use and closed. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the same device, the hat-receptacle being omitted from the view. Fig. 3 is a view of the hat-receptacle detached. Dotted lines indicate a hat within the same. Fig, 4 is an enlarged perspective detail illustrating one of the detachable suspending devices. Por-' tions of the sheath are broken to show the clamping members otherwise hidden thereby. Fig. 5 is a view from the rear side of Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale. Fig. 6 is a fragmental mid-vertical section on an enlarged scale, of the device shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Fig. 7 is a plan of the device when suspended in a corner of a room. Fig. 8 is installed in Fig. 7 Fig. 10 is a fragmental detail to illustrate the construction of the upper portion of the hat receptacle.

1 designates in a general way a supporting skeleton composed of suspending devices and a bar.

2 designates an ordinary molding hook to which two suspending straps 3 are attached, and from which said straps downwardly diverge for an equal distance and are connected at their lowermost ends to a bar 4 that affords a rigid support for the attaching devices 5 which will be more fully described hereinafter. The straps 3 and bar 4 constitute the said skeleton.

6 designates the back curtain-bar, the ends of which are detachably held in sockets 7 on straps 8 which are thereby held apart at a distance above the bar 4. 8 designates the front curtain-bar likewise held in socket-s 9 carried by said straps 3. The bars 6 and 8 are detachably fixed to the suspending straps 3 of the skeleton above the skeletonbar 4, and the back curtain-bar 6 is preferably above the level of the front curtain-bar so that an extension 10 of the back curtain 11 may be thrown over the front curtains 12 to cover all openings at the top of the canopy formed by the curtain means carried by the skeleton. The rear edges of the front curtains 12 are detachably secured to the edges of the back curtain 11 by fasteners 13, 14, of common construction. The back curtain 11 may be provided with holding devices as the pockets 15,, 16, 17 and 18, for various uses. The middle lower pockets 15 and 16 may be used as pockets for holding shoes. The pockets 17 may be used for hand-mirrors, hair-brushes, and the like. Pockets 18 may serve for tooth-brushes, combs, and other articles.

19 designates loops on the back curtain arranged in pairs, one above the other, and adapted to receive canes, umbrellas, parasols, and the like.

20 and 21 designate a sewing-companion and toilet straps suspended from the crossbar 4, and each provided with appliances for holding devices to be used by the owner, such as a pin-cushion 22, sachet-bag 23, scissors 24, spools of thread 25, thimble 26, and tooth-brush 27. Each of said straps is provided with one or more studs 28 by which some of the devices enumerated may be fastened by means of a loop 29.

30 is a laundry-holder or bag suspended from one of the headed studs 28.

31 designates headed studs on the skeleton bar 4, and 32 designates like studs on the upper or back curtain-bar 6. Said bars are thus fitted to receive and sustain a large number of the attaching devices 5, each of which may be provided at its upper end with a loop or wire-eye 33 which may be hooked upon the various buttons or studs and may be withdrawn therefrom with great ease, said loops being narrow at the top and broad at the bottom after the form of an ordinary garter-fastener, and said studs being made to correspond in form to the studs for such garter-fasteners.

34 designates a cross-bar fixed to the straps 3 on the skeleton-frame and provided with studs 35 corresponding to the studs 28 and adapted to receiye and retain the wire-loops 33 for suspending the hatreceptacle therefrom.

36 designates a supporting strap attached to the upper ends of the diverging straps 3 by two hooks and eyes 37, and provided at its lower end with a loop 38 through which a corner bar 39 may be run.

40 designates two other loops supported from studs 5 at the opposite ends of the head-bar to receive the ends of the cornerbar 39. This corner bar is provided with beveled velvet-covered ends 41 having a suitable angle, as 45 degrees, to adapt the same to fit snugly against the walls at the corner of the room and to hold the skeleton away from the wall when the device is hung in the corner, thus to leave room behind the curtains for storing other articles to be concealed.

42 designates running rings carried by the corner-bar 39. From these rings are suspended a number of attaching devices 43 which may be of different forms, as hereinafter more particularly described.

44 designates rings that carry the front curtains 12, the same encircling the lower front curtain-bar 8. The top curtain 10 is attached to the upper back-bar 6.

At intervals in the oontrivance, attach- .ing devices 45 are provided. These attaching devices may be made in the form of spring clamps of any desirable character. In the drawings such clamps consist simply of spring clothes-pins 46 incased in nonelastic webbing 47. By reference to Fig. 4 the construction of the attaching devices may be clearly seen. The clamping ends of the clothes-pins are held respectively in bifurcations 48, 49, of a sack.

The hat receptacle (1 is in the form of a bag having an orifice 50 at its upper end to allow the loop 33 to pass up therethrough for attaching to one of the studs 35 on the cross-bar 34. i

51 is a ring to which the non-elastic webbing 47 of the attaching device 45 or clamp for the hat is attached, and the wire loop 33 is attached to the webbing, below the level of the ring and extends up through the ring and through the orifice 50. The webbing'thus forms a closure for the orifice 50.

' 52, 53 designate a hook and eye fastened to the hatreceptacle a on opposite sides of the orifice 50 to extend through the wire loop 33 and over the ring 51, thus to prevent the hat receptacle a from slipping down over said ring.

In practical 'use, the handles or upper portions of the clothes-pin clamp 45 of the .hat holder may be grasped by the end outside the receptacle a, thus opening the clamp with one hand while the hat-brim is inserted into the clamp with the other hand. Then by releasing the clothes-pin clamp the hat-brim will be held by said clamp.

The straps 3 and 36 are provided with hooks and eyes at 54 so that loops 55 may be taken up for shortening said straps to adjust the wardrobe for attachment to picture-molding or other supports of different heights.

In addition to the devices in the wardrobe for holding or attaching clothing or articles of toilet or personal attire, safety pins 56 may be provided on one end of the strap 57 in which the sheath or case 47 terminates; the purpose of these pins being to enable the female user to pin skirts or other articles in place within the curtain canopy. Said sheath may also be provided with studs 28 onto which the wire loops 33 or other suspending devices may be attached.

For the purpose of suspending trousers by the bottoms of their legs, pairs of clamps may be provided, as shown at 59 in Figs. 5 and 9, the clamps of each pair being held apart by a bar 60. The sockets 7 and 9 and the bars 6 and 8 may be provided with fastening devices such as'are common for fas tening the edges of the wristlets of gloves together to hold said bars 6 and 8 in said sockets 7 and 9 respectively. 61 designates such fasteners. A top sheet 62 having rings 63 may be provided rearwardly of the other curtains to be fastened by hooks 64 in the wall, at the corner of which the wardrobe is mounted, as shown in Fig. 7.

I claim 1. In a foldable wardrobe, a molding hook, suspending straps attached to the molding hook and diverging downwardly, a hanger bar connected to the lowermost ends of the suspending straps, said straps being formed with two sets of socket devices above said hanger bar, a back curtain bar carried in one set of sockets, a front curtain bar carried in the other set of sockets, curtain rings on said front curtain bar, curtains carried by said curtain rings, and suspending devices fixed to the hanger bar.

2. A foldable wardrobe comprising a molding hook, two suspending straps containing socket attaching means attached to the molding hook and diverging downwardly, a bar attached to the lowermost ends of the suspending straps, toilet attaching devices for the bar, a back curtain bar attachable to said straps by said socket means, a front curtain bar attached to said strap by annular socket means, curtains upon said front curtain bar, curtains upon the back curtain bar, an extension upon the back ourtains for covering the front curtains, and holding devices carried by the back curtains.

3. A foldable wardrobe comprising a supporting hook, straps attached to the supporting hook, frame-work supported by the straps, curtains supported by the framework to form an inclosure adapted to be mounted in the corner of a room, a bar behind said inclosure attached to said straps to engage the walls of the room, and running rings on said bar to support sliding curtains.

4. A wardrobe comprising a skeleton composed of a bar and suspending devices, curtain means to inclose a space below said bar, and a bag open at one end and adapted to receive and contain a hat, means at the closed end of the bag to clamp the hat within the bag, and means at said closed end for attaching the bag to the suspending devices above the curtain means.

5. In a foldable wardrobe, suspending straps, means for connecting the straps to the wall at the corner of the room, bars connecting the lower ends of said straps, curtains suspended upon said bars, bar mounted on said straps behind the said curtains and engaging the walls to hold the device and its contents out from the corner, running rings on said bar and article attaching devices upon said running rings.

6. A skeleton comprising a bar and suspending devices therefor, bars connected with said suspending devices above the firstnamed bar, a back curtain carried by one of said bars, front curtains carried by another of said bars, a top curtain adapted to cover the tops of the front curtains, and means inside the inclosure formed by saidcurtains to support articles inside such inclosure.

7. A skeleton comprising a bar and suspending devices therefor, bars connected with said suspending devices above the firstnamed bar, a back curtain carried by one of said bars, front curtains carried by another of said bars, a top curtain adapted to cover the tops of the front curtains, means inside the inclosure formed by said curtains to support articles inside such inclosure, and a hat receptacle detachably connected with the suspending devices and provided interiorly with a clasp for a hat, said receptacle being adapted to extend over the upper portion of said curtains.

8. Curtains forming an inclosure, means for suspending said curtains in the corner of a room, and a bar provided with beveled cushioned ends adapted to engage the walls of the room to hold the curtains in position across the corner with a space behind said curtains.

9. A wardrobe comprising a bar, a hook, suspending devices connecting the bar with the hook and provided with sockets, bars in and supported by said sockets, a back curtain carried by one of said bars, front curtains, means for detachably connecting the rear and front curtains, and attaching means inclosed by said curtains.

10. A wardrobe comprising curtains to form an inclosure, means to support said curtains at the corner of a room, a bar behind said curtains to engage the walls of said room, running rings on said bar, and attaching devices carried by said rings.

In. testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my at Los Angeles, California, this 6th day of March, 1908.

NINA J. BELL.

In presence of JAMES R. TOWNSEND, M. BEULAH TOWNSEND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

